The role of corporate governance in mandatory sustainability reporting quality

Abstract

This study analyzes the association between various corporate governance mechanisms and mandatory sustainability reporting quality (MSRQ). To this end, we construct a novel MSRQ measure based on manually collected data from 220 German firms in their first year of mandatory sustainability reporting according to the European CSR Directive (2014/95/EU). Descriptive findings show a heterogeneous reporting quality for our sample. Building on stakeholder and legitimacy theory the regression analyses underline the important role of corporate governance in ensuring high MSRQ. MSRQ increases with the number of corporate governance mechanisms employed. Regarding the individual mechanisms, we find that MSRQ is positively associated with a sustainable remuneration of the executive board, gender diversity at the supervisory board level, the existence of a CSR committee, engagement in sustainability initiatives, and external assurance. However, we do not find any association between gender diversity at the executive board level and MSRQ, contradicting research on voluntary sustainability reporting. Finally, we derive several implications for preparers, auditors, stakeholders, and regulators.